The Wagga Racing Pigeon Club has soared to new heights with the introduction of an electronic timing system.

Club member Phil Major, who has 100 birds in his racing team, has overseen the installation of the system which he said is better for both pigeons and fanciers.

“Previously we had to catch the bird, take a ring off the leg and put it in a clock,” Phil said.

“You had a problem where some birds would baulk at coming into their loft because they do not like to be handled.

“Now we have a computerised system linked to a ring on the pigeon’s leg, a microchip and a bar code scanner ... and it’s accurate to 1000th of a second.

“And with recording the times, what used to take an hour-and-half with manual checking can now be done in 20 minutes.”

The electronic system automatically records the pigeon’s time when it flies back into the loft, meaning the fancier does not have to be there to see the arrival.

“It makes life a lot easier because you can go out and not worry about missing out on recording a time,” Phil said.

“Another huge benefit is with competitive training during the week.

“You can get home from work and know exactly when the bird came back to the loft.

“Before this system, you would know the bird got there but did not have a clue how long it took.

“You can now see how the pigeon is performing and monitor its progress.”

Phil’s birds have been performing consistently this season and he holds down second position on the point-score table, marginally behind pigeon stalwart John Clay.

For further information on pigeon racing call John on 6925 4228.